Let Your Employees Control Their Workspaces

Saturday, April 19th, 2014

To build a culture of high performance, your office environment may matter more than you think. Emerging research points to the power of choice and autonomy in workspaces to drive not only employee happiness, but also motivation and performance.

knowledge workers whose companies allow them to help decide when, where, and how they work were more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, performed better, and viewed their company as more innovative than competitors that didn’t offer such choices.

Not every company can offer choice to employees on the same scale. But all organizations should carefully consider what they can do to give employees the spaces and tools that enhance and support their workday tasks as well as corporate goals.

Color is very prone to pop psychology. Workers in an “enriched” office—one decorated with posters, prints, office plants, and the like—are more satisfied and productive than those who work in stripped-down, “lean” offices that are designed to minimize disruptions and expense. If you let employees determine their own surroundings, they will choose what works for them. In the process, they’ll be more productive, and they’ll feel more empowered, too.

Workplace choice is just one part of a broader culture of autonomy. With the support of organizational policy, and the right alignment of tools and technology to optimize productivity, it allows workers to optimize their own job performance, leaving them more satisfied, motivated, and creative – exactly the sort of employees you need to deliver high performance.

Summing-up: If you want to build a culture of high performance, start by taking a look at your office environment. It matters more than you may realize.